Boris Johnson news: Corbyn launches bid to stop PM shutting down parliament, amid widespread fury at plan

The "do not prorogue parliament" petition has reached 1.5 million signatures.

Ken Clarke, the Tory former chancellor, has said he would be willing to vote against the government in a confidence vote to try to stop a no-deal Brexit.

Asked if he would be willing to bring down the government, Mr Clarke told ITV News: "If it's the only way of stopping us plunging into the disaster of a no-deal Brexit, then yes."

Earlier this month, Jo Swinson, the Liberal Democrat leader, suggested Mr Clarke could be a candidate to lead a "government of national unity" if Mr Johnson's government lost a confidence vote.

Responding to this, Mr Clarke said: "If sensible people thought that was a sensible idea and it was necessary to get us to a more sensible outcome of the present crisis, then yes."

Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, has said opposition MPs will start their attempts to block a no-deal Brexit on the first day back after the parliamentary summer recess.

Mr Corbyn told Sky News: "We will be back in parliament on Tuesday to challenge Boris Johnson on what I think is a smash-and-grab raid against our democracy where he's trying to suspend parliament in order to prevent a serious discussion and a serious debate to prevent a no-deal Brexit.

"What we're going to do is try to politically stop him on Tuesday with a parliamentary process in order to legislate and prevent a no-deal Brexit and also to try and prevent him shutting down parliament during this utterly crucial period."

He added: "I had a very constructive meeting with the leaders of all the opposition parties in my office a couple of days ago to go through these and we're working together to do everything we can to ensure that parliament is able to assert itself, on behalf of the British people, to prevent a no-deal exit from the EU."

Opposition leaders have demanded Mr Johnson reverse his decision to suspend parliament or put it to a Commons vote.

In a joint statement from Labour, the SNP, the Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru, The Independent Group for Change and the Green Party, the leaders said: "It is our view that there is a majority in the House of Commons that does not support this prorogation, and we demand that the prime minister reverses this decision immediately or allows MPs to vote on whether there should be one."

The statement continues: "We condemn the undemocratic actions of Boris Johnson following his suspension of parliament until 14 October.

"There is no mandate from the public for a damaging no-deal Brexit. The prime minister is shutting down parliament with the sole aim of stopping MPs from avoiding a no-deal Brexit.

"This will be the longest prorogation in recent history, and one that comes at a critical moment in the history of our respective nations and the Brexit process.

"Voters are being deprived of the opportunity to have their representatives hold the government to account, make any key decisions, and ensure there is a lawful basis for any action that is taken."

The devolved administrations need greater funding to deal with the effects of Brexit, finance ministers from the Scottish and Welsh governments have claimed.

Welsh finance minister Rebecca Evans and Scottish finance secretary Derek Mackay warned that the Treasury's plans for a one-year spending round - as opposed to a three-year comprehensive spending review - will leave them "short-changed".

Here's Tom Peck's sketch on how Tory minister Ben Wallace was "caught telling the truth": 

Jackson Carlaw has been appointed interim leader of the Scottish Conservatives pending a leadership election, the party has confirmed.

The MSP held the position during Ruth Davidson's recent maternity leave.

The SNP's management confirmed Mr Carlaw's appointment in a statement.

It said: "The management board of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party agreed unanimously that following the resignation of Rt Hon Ruth Davidson MSP as the Leader of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party on 29 August 2019, Jackson Carlaw MSP should be appointed interim leader of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party with immediate effect until the conclusion of the leadership election.

"The management board of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party will promulgate rules for a leadership election later this year to allow for the election of a new Leader of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party."

Boris Johnson has said both the UK and EU need to "step up the tempo" as the government prepares to intensify talks with Brussels.

Downing Street has said the UK's team of Brexit negotiators will sit down with their EU counterparts twice a week during September "with the possibility of additional technical meetings, to discuss a way forward on securing a new deal".

The prime minister said from his first day in office he has been determined to get a deal done.

He added: "While I have been encouraged with my discussions with EU leaders over recent weeks that there is a willingness to talk about alternatives to the anti-democratic backstop, it is now time for both sides to step up the tempo.

"The increase in meetings and discussions is necessary if we are to have a chance of agreeing a deal for when we leave on 31 October, no ifs no buts."

A no-deal Brexit would "likely" interrupt flu vaccine supplies, at the same time the UK is facing "a particularly virulent" strain of the illness, doctors have warned.

Flu vaccines are offered free every year to those most at risk of the illness, including over-65s and pregnant women, and other people can pay a small fee for the medicine.

The NHS says the best time to have a flu vaccine is in the autumn, from the beginning of October to the end of November. Last winter, 72 per cent of eligible people over 65 and 45 per cent of eligible pregnant women had the vaccine, according to Public Health England.

However, a number of doctors and other health professionals have expressed concerns that a no-deal Brexit would negatively affect this year's supply.

The president of the Royal College of Physicians, Andrew Goddard, told BBC Newsnight: "I can't sit here and say 'don't worry, no deal will be fine, no one is going to come to any harm, no one is going to run out of medicines'.

"What we can see is we're likely to not have enough flu vaccine, we are likely not to have the flu vaccine coverage that we've had in previous years, and that is likely to have an impact on the NHS."